Fieldguide
Quick reference
Apples fund bookshelf stats; duct tape funds workbench facilities and item pools. Mission rewards, boss bonuses, achievements and the Apple Press provide distinct routes through progression.
- Apples
- Spend at the bookshelf for repeatable permanent stats.
- Duct tape
- Spend at the workbench for one-time unlocks.
- Apple Press
- Exchanges apples for tape at the displayed price.
- Boss bonuses
- Response levels 3 and 5 increase boss tape drops.
What to do
- Read the mission’s tape reward before selecting a route.
- Choose the facility needed by the next unlock objective.
- Compare the Apple Press exchange with the bookshelf upgrade it delays.
Useful equipment and guides
Apples buy repeatable stat upgrades at the bookshelf. Duct tape buys one-time facilities and item packs at the base workbench. Both currencies support future journeys, but they unlock different things.
| Currency or facility | Use | Where to check it |
|---|---|---|
| Apples | Permanent stats such as health, movement and attack speed | Bookshelf |
| Duct tape | Workbench facilities and item pools | One-time unlock list |
| Apple Press | Exchange apples for duct tape | Base |
| Character upgrades | Improve a chosen survivor’s character item | Campfire |
Earning apples
The round-end rating converts the run’s performance into apples. Surviving days, defeating enemies and completing achievements contribute to progression. In 1.0, harder achievements multiply the rating, and each MKing response level adds a 5% apple bonus at round end. Some achievements also award currency at base.
Staying through the night increases enemy pressure and can provide more combat rewards, but a loss can erase the opportunity to finish an objective or boss. Use the Reaper preparation guide when the purpose of a long stay is a specific unlock.
Getting duct tape
Read the mission tooltip before selecting a branch; it shows duct-tape rewards. Boss rewards increase with campaign difficulty: 1.0 adds one tape from response level 3 and two from level 5. The HQ end boss has a base drop of three, and the Reaper drops one. These rules make older fixed “maximum tape per run” totals unreliable.
The Apple Press gives another route when tape is the immediate bottleneck. Its 1.0 prices follow a rounded Fibonacci sequence. Check the next displayed exchange price against the bookshelf upgrade it would delay.
Unlock order
Open Merchant and Item Workbench when you need shops and recipes. Follow the pack prerequisites toward Toy Box for Rubber Ball and Yo-Yo, and toward More Rarities when matching epics will no longer merge. Item packs add equipment to possible finds; they do not deliver a copy of each item.
Use crafting and merging for rarity restrictions, character unlocks for Costume Shop prerequisites, and HQ progression for the bomb campaign.
Sources
Last updated 2026-11-02.
